Guitar pedal Overdrive effect. For over 30 years Maxon's legendary ''808'' overdrive circuit has been an essential ingredient to achieving great guitar tone. Whether it's used as a booster to drive an amp, as a Dirt box for crunch and extra sustain or as an EQ to shape the tone of a high-gain amp, the 808 in its many incarnations has shown up in more rigs and on more recordings than anyone would care to count. Extended frequency response improves note definition and clarity. Increased Output (+ 5 dB over OD808) for extra Volume Boost. Buffered Bypass Switching.